Mayor’s Health Line’s December Reports of Interest

The Kaiser Family Foundation today issued a new report that provides a current assessment of how disparities in access to care in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) compare with disparities among privately insured and uninsured children. This report, Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care Among Children: How Does Medicaid do in Closing the Gaps?, analyzes data for more than 15,000 children from the 2003 and 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative household survey conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. [Kaiser Family Foundation]

Training new midlevel dental providers in the U.S. could significantly increase the access of basic dental care for underserved populations, according to a report released yesterday by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. [Center for Health and Health Care in Schools News Alert – November 17, 2009]

Breaking Through on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities: An Approach to Message Translation
There are rich resources–decades of research and scholarly articles – documenting health disparities in America and the importance of social determinants of health. But how can we make sure that these findings are well-understood by policy-makers? One objective of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America was to engage public and private sector decision makers. The challenge was how to “translate” the wide-ranging, highly-specific and technical information about social determinants and health disparities into language that would resonate with a diverse group of leaders. This new issue brief explains how the Commission framed these issues, describes the research-based process used to develop messages and shares messages for broader use. [RWJF Content Alerts]

Healthy People 2020 Objectives Draft
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invites you to comment on the DRAFT set of objectives for Healthy People 2020. For three decades, Healthy People has provided a set of national 10-year health promotion and disease prevention objectives aimed at improving the health of all Americans. Visit http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/comments [Healthy People 2010 News and

The online tool allows users to quickly compare the amended Senate bill with the House bill approved Nov. 7 by the full House, both through the interactive tool and through a stand-alone printed document. The tool also allows comparisons from more than a dozen other health reform proposals put forward by various members of Congress, committees and other leaders during the year. In addition, the Foundation has updated a short comparison of the Medicare provisions in the Senate and House bills. [Kaiser Family Foundation]

Latinos Online, 2006-2008: Narrowing the Gap

New Pew Hispanic Center report examines trends in technology use among Latinos, whites, and blacks
The Pew Hispanic Center has released a new report examining internet use among Latinos between 2006 and 2008. The Center’s report is derived from a total of eight telephone surveys and explores Latino internet use by nativity, language proficiency, education, and household income. The study also takes a general look at internet use by whites, African Americans, and Latinos, including home broadband uptake. The report Latinos Online, 2006-2008: Narrowing the Gap is now available online.

Early and Periodic Screening,Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) Services in Medicaid

The Maternal and Child Health Library released a new edition of the knowledge path, Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) Services in Medicaid. The knowledge path includes guidelines for the frequency, timing, and content of health-promotion and disease-prevention services for infants, children, and adolescents. Separate sections present resources for professionals (health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, and researchers) and for families. A special topics area lists resources about oral health services as part of the EPSDT benefit. View the path online. Knowledge paths on other maternal and child health (MCH) topics are available at http://mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/index.html .

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Located in Boston, the Mayor’s Health Line is a free and confidential, information and referral phone service open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. It is your one-stop-shop for your health insurance and health care needs. The Mayor's Health Line is part of the Boston Public Health Commission. please visit their site at www.bphc.org